Friday, March 21, 2008

Focus!

There are a lot of Angry Lutherans this week, due to the cancellation of the radio program Issues, Etc. We're upset too. However, now, before anything rash is done, might be a good time to step back and ask, "What's your goal?"

Two admirable goals have already become well-established since Tuesday: supporting the men who lost their employment and putting a good Lutheran program back on the airwaves. What should be done to achieve these goals? At least one petition has been started, which as of this posting has 2,326 names. Calls and emails have flooded the KFUO offices and LCMS offices voicing displeasure at the decision and the way it has been handled. These are good, calm ways to address the situation and possibly achieve the goals stated above.

Unfortunately, some are starting to discuss a full-scale, 60s-style protest outside the Purple Palace in St. Louis. Will this accomplish the goals of providing for the two men who were terminated and their families or getting the program back on the airwaves? No. The only "good" this would accomplish is a swelled feeling of self-righteousness among the protesters. There is, as of right now, no proof of what happened, only rumors and conspiracy theories. There is no need to be that vocal in voicing displeasure over what has happened. The people responsible know that you are not happy. They would benefit from you showing up with placards and screaming your heads off. They would appear to the the cooler headed group, while your actions would confirm the caricature of Confessional Lutherans as raving lunatics.

Instead, we propose another plan:1. Recruit more people to sign petitions.2. Keep calling the proper offices to voice your feelings.3. Donate to help the men who lost their jobs.4. If you donated to KFUO, ask for your money back. This is the surest way to let them know that you do not support this decision.5. Work to find another venue for the show, whether radio or internet. With all the interest this situation has generated, it's possible that another station might want to pick up the show. It had a respectable sized listenership before; now, at least for a while, the number of people tuning in would probably be larger due to the controversy. This also makes it an advertiser's dream. If another venue is found, sponsors will probably be plentiful.

Don't get caught up in emotion. This is an excellent opportunity to support a good program and to keep the focus on the very strange things that happened this past Tuesday. As our Lord said, "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."